


All Out of Fruit Loops

by misura



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Movie: Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29351292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "It's not the same without you, you know," Nate says, like that's something Jake wants to hear.
Relationships: Nate Lambert/Jake Pentecost
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	All Out of Fruit Loops

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Requiem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Requiem/gifts).



Jake thought he'd been pretty good at covering his tracks, but then he comes back to the place that's more or less home for now to find Nate waiting for him, looking stuffy and serious and hopelessly out of place amid the chaos that is Jake's perfectly nice and comfortable life.

"You know, you're a hard man to find," Nate says, honest-to-God rising, like he's being polite.

Jake decides to think of it as Nate getting ready to sprint after him in case Jake pulls a runner which - well, wouldn't be the first time Jake's run away, would it? So fair enough.

He says, "Not hard enough, apparently," though part of him still looks at Nate's stupid sexy face and thinks it's exactly that.

Of course, it's never been Nate's _looks_ that were the problem.

Nate shrugs and says, "PPDC," like that's an explanation.

Jake hasn't even given Mako his address - not that he'd expect her to rat him out to Nate. Mako's pretty good at playing dirty, only there's playing dirty and whatever the hell it would be to tell Nate where to find him, after he's declared he never wants to see Nate's face again.

"So what, you're here to arrest me? For what?"

Nate rolls his eyes. It's such a Nate kind of gesture, it almost makes Jake realize he's missed Nate, missed this. Missed having someone to talk to and laugh at and flirt with. Someone he knows isn't going to try to put a bullet in him this time tomorrow. "I'm not here to arrest you."

"Then what? An apology? I accept. Like that. See, I'm an easy-going person. Now, if that was all, I've got a ton of stuff going on right now, so if you don't mind - "

"They're giving me a new partner," Nate says. "Monday."

"I'm very happy for you. Whoever it is sounds great. I've heard a lot of good stuff about them."

Nate sighs. He looks ... soft, kind of vulnerable. Like someone Jake could offer a hug and then next thing he knows, they'd be kissing and indulging in some light mutual groping and yeah, no, bad idea to go down that road again. Been there, done that, did not bother to take any of the plain white t-shirts that look better on Nate anyway.

"We - I didn't want you to hear about it from someone else."

Jake wonders if Nate's just ignoring Jake's claim that he still talks to anyone in the program, or if he already knows it's total BS. "Why? I walked, you stayed. Got nothing to do with me anymore, mate. You can Drift with whoever you want, it's all the same to me."

"You 'walked'?" Nate's lips do that thing they do when Nate isn't smiling.

"Let's face it, the way things ended between us? Not great." Jake shrugs. "But hey, it happens. No need to drag all of that up again."

"I missed you," Nate says, which is - what is Jake even supposed to _do_ with that?

Ignoring it's the best call, definitely. Pretend he hasn't heard. If he'd done that from the beginning, both he and Nate might've been a lot better off - not that Nate seems to be doing all that bad, new partner on Monday and all.

Jake doubts they think Nate's face is stupid sexy. Their loss, obviously, and Nate's loss, maybe, and not actually Jake's gain, because he closed that door a long time ago, or thought he did, right until a couple of minutes ago when Nate was suddenly here.

"Look, you want a drink or something? Don't have any ice cream, but ... " Nate's not much of an ice cream guy anyway, though Jake remembers at least one time he didn't seem to mind.

"I put a couple of beers in your fridge," Nate says.

Jake tries not to think this is beginning to feel a bit like - not Nate wanting him back, obviously, see: the whole 'my new partner starts on Monday'. But _something_.

If only he could figure out what it was, he could tell Nate nope, no way, sorry, and they could both be on their way again, a little older and wiser thanks to the experience - or at least Jake would be.

Nate's not real good at taking hints, or reading cues, or a whole bunch of stuff, to be honest.

Good enough to find Jake, though, looks like. That's something to think about later, when it's just Jake and his hot sauce and Fruit Loops and total and utter lack of ice cream again.

Two beers aren't nearly enough to improve Nate's personality. Still, it's kind of nice, to sit back and drink beer and look at his stupid sexy face. Jake can think whatever he wants, now: he's not ever going to have to worry again about having someone else in his head.

Nate's new partner's probably going to get to know Jake pretty well, for someone they're never going to meet. Jake doesn't think he wants to know which memories Nate's kept, what images, scenes, opinions Nate's going to put in the Drift about him. Which ones, if any, he's going to keep to himself.

It doesn't matter, anyway. All done and gone, and good riddance, as far as Jake's concerned.

He loves his life right now, the freedom, the living from day to day. The hustle and the bustle. The bit where people try to kill him every once in a while can get a bit annoying, but eh.

"It's not the same without you, you know," Nate says, like that's something Jake wants to hear.

" 'course not," Jake says. "Great looks, great personality - rare combination." He hopes Nate isn't going to talk again about missing him.

"I should be getting back," Nate says, rising.

"It's pretty late, man," Jake says, before he can stop himself, because this? Stupid with a capital s. "You sure you don't want to stay the night? I've got room. Also some extremely high quality breakfast cereals."

Nate sits back down so fast it makes Jake suspect for a moment that he's been hustled, but nah. This is Nate. Nate wants something, he asks for it. "You got people staying over often?"

Like that, yup. "Only the ones I really, really like. And trust not to try to steal my stuff while I'm sleeping."

Nate looks around the room in a way that's pretty offensive.

Jake considers smacking him, or starting another argument, only he figures he's done enough damage already, and, well, they've probably had enough arguments for the rest of their lives.

"So you want the couch, or ...?"

"Or what?" Nate says, but there's this little hitch in his voice that gives him away.

Jake's not sure what to do with the knowledge that yeah, Nate definitely came here for some sort of booty call. A last huzzah before settling in with the new Mister or Missus, not that Jake expects Nate to sleep with everyone he Drifts with, but, well, it worked out that way when it was him and Nate, so who's to say it won't work out that way with the next guy or gal too?

It's not like Jake's got any right to disapprove. Which he doesn't. Jealousy's stupid, and Jake's smart.

He says, "You know what. Don't start acting any dumber than you are, man. It doesn't work on me."

Nate takes another sip of beer. "All right."

"All right? What's that mean, all right? You know, don't you, that this whole bit where we're not Drifting any more? Means you've got to use words now." Maybe that's why it happened, why _they_ happened. Nate didn't need to convince Jake he wasn't as dumb as he looked. (The amount of sexy he looked was 100% truth in advertising.)

Jake didn't need to convince Nate he didn't care all that much, that it could just be a casual, easy thing, no emotional strings or inconvenient emotions attached.

They had the Drift; they didn't need to have awkward conversations about whether or not someone was going to sleep on the couch.

Nate puts down his empty bottle. "All right, I don't want to show up for work with a sore back because I slept on your crappy couch."

"This couch is high quality, top of the line," Jake says, then remembers that right, he wasn't going to argue. "But fine. Whatever you want, mate."

Nate's eyebrows go up a bit.

Jake's turn to roll his eyes, though he's not nearly as good at it as Nate.

Besides, they both know who's going to be on top and who's going to be the one calling the shots later tonight.


End file.
